1. Much or varied learning.
2. Acquaintance with many branches of knowledge.

The German Jesuit polymath, Athanasius Kircher (1602-1680) was acclaimed during his life time as one of the most learned men of his era. He made contributions to almost every branch of science including mathematics, astronomy, harmonics, acoustics, chemistry, microscopy, medicine, was believed to be able to decipher Egyptian hieroglyphics, and published extensively on scientific topics.